Understanding Live Golf Betting (Simplified)

Updated September 4, 2019

There has never been a better time to start betting on golf. With veterans like Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods continuing to win tournaments and a crop of newcomers like Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth consistently showing tenacity and an ability to dominate tournaments. the immediate future of golf seems to be in good hands.

The focus here will be live betting on golf which offers a myriad of different options to choose from, depending on the event. For more on how live betting on golf works and what options are available to you, read on!

Live Betting on Golf Tournament Winners

This one is the most straight forward. Any time throughout an event, odds will change on who will win the golf tournament depending on how well everyone is playing. Naturally, the favorites will have shorter odds to win and the long shots will have odds that entail a greater payout.

For example, even if Rory McIlroy is 6 shots behind the lead his odds to win may still be +2500. This means a $10 wager earns you $250 plus the $10 stake you laid should he win. A lesser golfer not likely to emerge victoriously may be 3 shots back, but his odds could be +4000 because the sportsbook doesn’t think he’ll end up with the trophy.

Placing a bet on the outright winner can take place any time during the tournament. Maybe you know Matt Kuchar tends to play great on Saturday’s and he’s well back of the leaders. His odds could be +8000, but you expect him to have a great round so you lay some cash on him. Thanks to live betting, you can do this any time during the round as well, through to the conclusion of the event.

For the major tournaments, odds will be more enticing for the bettor simply because so many quality players are competing. For lesser events where the field of golfers is weaker, you won’t find as good of odds as you will for the top competitors.

Two/Three Balls Live Betting

Before a round of golf, there may be 2 or 3 members in each group teeing off together. You can place a wager on who might emerge victorious within that group or if they will match the same score during that round. Live betting lets you make these bets at any time, and odds will change in relation to how the between the golfers unfolds.

For example, Player A is a considerable favorite to defeat Player B, so Player A may have odds of -200 to win the round matchup (a $100 wager would result in a $50 win plus the original stake for a total of $150) Player B, as the underdog, has odds of +220 so a $100 wager results in total earnings of $320.

Typically, there is also a bet you can lay on the match ending up in a tie. Perhaps the line would be somewhere in the neighborhood of +750, meaning a $100 wager pays out $850 total. Depending on the event, odds throughout the match will fluctuate, depending on which golfers are winning and which golfers are losing. This bet can only be placed before the golfers have teed off because odds won’t be available once the round begins.

Live Betting on Individual Hole Results

If two golfers are competing in a match or stroke play event, sportsbooks often offer live betting lines on who will win the current hole they’re playing. In the Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson match back in November, Mickelson, as the underdog, was often given a +350 line that he’d win the hole over Tiger, whereas Tiger, the favorite, had a line of +275. The likelihood is always highest that the golfers will tie the hole, that line was +100.

Feeling confident that Phil is better on par 3’s than Tiger is? If so, making a wager on Mickelson to win the hole might be a perfect time to place a bet. Or maybe you think Tiger dominates the par 5’s better than Phil does, so that could be a time to bet on Woods. As the hole is being played, the odds will adjust depending on which golfer is in a better position to win that particular hole.

Live Betting Score Results

This one is extremely similar to the live betting hole results, but in this case, you can wager on if a player will make a birdie (or better) or a bogey (or worse) on a given hole. Depending on the difficulty of the hole, a line will be set for how the golfer will do.

Often these types of bets are only available for the major tournaments (Masters, PGA Championship, US Open, British Open), but keep your eyes peeled as they pop up from time to time in other events.

The difficulty of the holes will determine what betting lines are posted. A challenging hole will mean the likelihood of a player making birdie is slimmer. Therefore, you might see the highest odds posted that they’ll make a birdie. Since it’s a tough hole, the odds they’ll make a bogey are greater meaning the odds will be lower. On the contrary, an easy hole will likely have the betting line flipped since it is more likely the golfer will birdie.

Get Started Live Betting on Golf Today!

There are plenty of different options at your disposal to bet on golf throughout a tournament and during a specific round.

Betting on these lines can be fruitful (not to mention that it can grow your bankroll) if you’re familiar with the course, player history on certain holes, or how they certain players fare against their competition.

Michael "Hound Dog" Harrison is well known in the sports industry as the resident statisitician for the Jay and Dan Show. He has worked at TSN for over 13 years, where he's been featured on Sportscentre, That's Hockey, That's Hockey 2Nite, The Masters preview shows, and several more.

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